Movie Theater in Michigan Strikes Deal with Caesars to Turn It into a Sportsbook
Photo via Caesars.
A movie theater operator made news on Monday when it announced that it would turn some of its theaters into sportsbooks.
Michigan-based Emagine Entertainment, which owns 344 theaters housed on 29 sites, announced that it had struck a deal with Caesars to give the company a sportsbook presence in Michigan, where it currently has just a mobile site and a sportsbook in Traverse City.
The company will turn theaters into Caesars Sports Lounge by dividing its 42-foot LED screens into TVs of different dimensions to show games. The theaters have heated leather recliners and tables that hold premium food and beverages that the theaters already serve.
The initial site is in Royal Oak, Michigan, but CEO Anthony LaVerde says his hope is to put Caesars branded sports lounges into his theaters in other states, including Illinois and Indiana.
There will be no admission cost to enter the sports lounge. Caesars will have reps on site to facilitate mobile signups and will benefit from Emagine's huge database in the state. Emagine will benefit by being able to sell food and beverage, the bread and butter to a movie theater's profit engine.
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